UrbanChain, Summize and AeroCloud were among the key winners at GP Bullhound’s 2025 Northern Tech Awards. The 12th edition of the awards took place at the Titanic Hotel in Liverpool and was attended by 250 CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business leaders from across the digital economy to recognise innovation and excellence throughout the North of England.
The Judges’ Overall Award was presented to myHappymind, a Finish company that has developed a digital mental wellness platform for children, but the Fastest Growing Company Award went to Manchester-based UrbanChain, which has created a platform for the buying and selling of renewable energy.
The business has appointed KPMG to lead their current £50m+ Series B fundraise and was founded by CEO Somayeh Taheri. They were chosen ahead of runner-up Utopi and third-placed Vivify, another company from Manchester, for the accolade.
However, Vivify did secure the Judges Tech4Good Award for its digital platform designed to partner with schools to hire out their facilities. Tom Dunlop, CEO of LegalTech Summize, collected the Judges’ Innovation Award, while the Judges’ Award for Global Ambition was given to Stockport-based airport tech firm AeroCloud.
The Judges’ Leadership Award went to Apadmi, the Manchester-headquartered mobile-first digital agency specialising in app design and development and was accepted by CEO Garry Partington. Earlier in the evening, the guest speaker, Graeme Ankers, shared the compelling story of scaling Firesprite from a startup into the largest independent development studio in Merseyside and one of the UK’s fastest-growing tech companies, prior to its acquisition by Sony PlayStation in 2021.
Image source: GP Bullhound
